The Negro Speaks of Rivers

I chose to critique “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” by Langston Hughes. I was moved by this poem because it tells of adventure and the timeless, ageless, mystery of the rivers in our world. It is a very interesting poem right from the start. One is brought to wonder how a simple man can know rivers older than time or older than the flow of human blood. This is to say he's known rivers before man was ever considered. He moves on to say that his “soul has grown deep like the rivers” and then recalls adventures he has had on a few of our world's major rivers and their impact on him. The speaker talks of having been lulled to sleep by the Nile and raising the pyramids over the Nile. These things are almost serene to imagine because of the remarkable experience it would provide to anyone who witnessed such an event. The speaker describes the next lines in much the same way and I was able to connect with him in the adventurous lifestyle he lived and how being on and near these rivers set him apart from the rest of civilization. I very much enjoyed this poem and look forward to reading more in the coming weeks.